When we expand our thinking to match this view, we understand why habits such as smoking and conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure have a direct impact on vision loss. Even though we know that diseases such as diabetes cause deterioration in eyesight, we haven’t fully made the connection to looking at our eyes as part of the whole and incorporating eye health into our self-care regimens. We tend to simply assume that the need for eyeglasses or development of eye disease, such as macular degeneration, is an unavoidable part of the aging process.īut is this true? Is there another, more holistic way of looking at eyesight that will foster a more proactive approach? The mistake we as consumers-not to mention most eye doctors and optometrists-make is to look at the eyes in isolation, as if vision loss has nothing to do with overall health. Like so many other aspects of health, people consider vision loss a normal part of aging-along with gray hair and wrinkles. How would we get around? How would we experience the world? Even though our eyes are so essential to our way of life, we don’t pay them much attention unless something goes wrong, except to get our vision corrected with glasses, contacts, or laser surgery. Many of us shudder at the thought of vision loss. Of all our senses, vision may be the one most associated with independence. Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!

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